I’m going to combine the 3 things we have been doing into just one.
Health news will be first up.
Other interesting stuff will follow, and indicated.
Current health & related situation:
Serious issues here; briefly . . . (for those recently learning of this)
Many know that Nancy is having a life-changing health episode. Some may not know that she had Rheumatic fever as a child and years later needed a Mitral Valve replacement. That was done in December, 2009. She also needed a bypass at Thanksgiving that year, and had heart damage. Then the blood thinner Heparin almost killed her.
You can search up Heparin – HIT.
2020 has been unkind and Nancy’s heart disease has progressed. Other issues, maybe related, include declining mind-hand coordination. She has used multiple e-mail accounts for the earth science jobs list and a few other things. I need to figure that stuff out and shut them down.
We have avoided Covid-19, but not Panic20. Many functions in Washington State were closed, including the Senior Center and the eldercare facilities where she & others played music. These kept Nancy busy, interested, and doing soft exercise. There is evidence of a linkage between these things and elderly health. Nancy’s health was already compromised, but Panic20 didn’t help.
We have had the first of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The second doze is set for 3/18 (John) and 3/19 (Nancy).
Tomorrow (Sunday) she is to have pre-sleep study Covid test. Then she goes for the sleep study Wednesday at 8PM, and I pick her up the next morning a 6AM. The place is 50 miles away, so that’s a bummer.
The cardiologist wants her to get more Oxygen at night, that requires some form of breathing assist. That may mean a CPAP unit.
She doesn’t have the serious apnea issues, but apparently does have {assumption from expert knowledge} shallow breathing during sleep.
She went through this years ago, then lost a lot of weight, and stopped using CPAP.
A weight loss of over 10% triggers a “new test requirement” – apparently so the proper sort of apparatus can be prescribed – and likely the health providers meet legal norms. By the time the test is done, and so on, about 6 weeks will have gone by since the cardiologist said she needed to up the night time Oxygen in her blood (SpO2).
As her heart function declined (and maybe something else unknown), sometime in late December her legs swelled. Also the Potassium level spiked. Doc took her off one medication and doubled the other water pill – Lasix. We were introduced to compression socks. We wish for you, dear reader, to never encounter this need.
Newest wrinkle is finding an in-home hospital bed designed to allow raising her feet and legs above her heart. The idea is to ease the burden on the heart. Friend Elise (New Jersey) has been helpful in sparking this and providing information. A Monday chore.
Check back next Sunday for updates.
Thanks,
John